Basic Criteria for Continuation

1. Our undergraduate program is designed for students to enroll full-time in Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarters, take CHEM E 310 and 375 the spring quarter following admission or placement into the major and to complete the degree within two academic years of completing CHEM E 310 and 375.

   • Full-time students must complete 12 or more credits per quarter. An average of 15 hours per quarter is required to complete the minimum graduation requirements in the conventional 12 quarters.

   • X, NC, and NS grades do not satisfy degree requirements, and S grades may only count towards specific degree requirements in Extraordinary Circumstances Quarters. Students who fail to complete coursework applicable to the degree (including general education requirements and ChemE major requirements) for one or more quarters may be placed on academic alert.

   • Students unable to enroll full-time should meet with ChemE Advising to put together a part-time degree plan and must complete at least one course each quarter applicable to their degree requirements. Part-time attendance is subject to approval by the undergraduate program committee. Students are responsible for obtaining approval from any other relevant offices (e.g. Financial Aid, International Student Services, etc.) prior to enrolling part time.

2. Satisfactory Progress:

   • Students must complete the following spring quarter enrollment requirements and autumn quarter continuation requirements.

     1. Prior to the start of the first spring quarter following entrance into the major: CHEM 162, PHYS 122, and MATH 207 or equivalents

     2. Prior to the start of the following autumn quarter: CHEM 237 (or CHEM 223 or CHEM 257), CHEM 238 (or CHEM 224 or CHEM 258); PHYS 123 (or PHYS 143); MATH 208 (unless MATH 136 or AMATH 352 is taken); CHEM E 310, with a grade of 2.0 or higher; CHEM E 375

   • Once enrolled in CHEM E 310, students are required to move through the core coursework as a cohort (see the Plan of Study on the dept website); any deviation from the stated plan requires a petition.

   • Students who fail to complete the enrollment or continuation requirements or core course sequences described above will be contacted by ChemE Academic Services and notified that they are due to be dropped from the department and they are invited to appeal the decision by submitting a letter outlining the extenuating circumstances and a graduation plan. Students are encouraged to work with ChemE academic advising to receive support in submitting a strong appeal. Without an approved appeal, these students will be dropped from the department.

   • In line with the UW Satisfactory Progress Policy, ChemE students are expected to graduate within a total of 12 quarters/210 credits or as soon as all degree requirements have been completed. With the exception of approved double degree plans (see below), the ChemE Department will not approve student degree plans which delay graduation beyond this 12 quarter/210 credit timeframe in order to take courses which are not required for the ChemE major.

3. Any second major declared in addition to ChemE constitutes a double degree (requiring a minimum of 225 credits). Students seeking to pursue two or more degrees must draft a degree plan outlining all remaining requirements for both majors and meet with advisers in both departments to determine whether the plan is feasible within UW’s Satisfactory Progress Policy before the second degree is declared. Students pursuing a double degree are expected to make progress towards both degrees simultaneously. Students may not add a second major after completion of the junior core.

4. ChemE students who plan to take time off from the university should meet with ChemE Advising before taking time off to discuss how this will impact their academic plan. Students are also responsible for obtaining approval from any other relevant office (e.g., Financial Aid, International Student Services) prior to taking time off. Students who do not enroll or who withdraw from a quarter will receive a registration hold and will need to obtain the approval of the department undergraduate committee before registering for subsequent chemical engineering courses. Students who are not enrolled for 2 or more consecutive quarters (excluding summer quarter) will additionally need to complete the university's Returning Student Process.

5. All students must maintain both an overall UW and a chemical engineering 2.00 GPA in core chemical engineering courses. (For chemical engineering courses which are repeated, the chemical engineering GPA is based only on the first time a course is taken.). Any student who falls below 2.0 for either of these 2 GPAs will be notified of an academic alert and will receive a registration hold until they meet with their academic adviser to discuss their academic progress and receive advising support. ChemE students are also subject to the UW Low Scholarship Policy.

6. Students whose quarterly GPA falls below 2.00 but whose UW and ChemE GPA remain above a 2.0 will be placed on departmental academic watch. Students on academic watch will be notified of their academic alert and will receive a registration hold until they meet with their academic adviser to discuss their academic progress. Academic watch students are not otherwise subject to the probationary process outlined below.

Review and Notification of Progress

The progress of each student is reviewed each quarter. If a student's performance fails to meet the standards outlined above, the student is placed on academic alert the following quarter. The student receives notification in writing of the reason for the alert. Additionally, students will be provided with additional guidance and support from the ChemE Academic Services Office. The student’s academic alert will be removed the following quarter provided that they complete coursework applicable to the degree and their UW GPA and ChemE GPA are above a 2.0. If the student does not address the reasons for the academic alert by the end of the first quarter of academic alert, the student will be notified of an academic warning and will again receive a registration hold until they meet with a ChemE academic advisor. If the student is unable to address the reasons for the academic concerns after a quarter with an academic warning, the student will be notified in writing that they have been dropped from the major. Students who accumulate 3 or more non-consecutive quarters of academic alert may also be dropped from the major. A student dropped from ChemE may be changed to pre-major status within the College of Arts and Sciences or may declare another major if eligible.  

Appealing for Admission or Continuation in Chemical Engineering

Students may appeal for admission to or continuation in the Department of Chemical Engineering by writing an email to the Undergraduate Program Committee via their academic adviser. The appeal email should describe any extenuating circumstances and may include any additional information in support of the appeal that the student believes is relevant. The appeal email must also include the specific steps that the student has taken to prevent these extenuating circumstances from impacting their academics moving forward. 

The appeal email will be reviewed by the Undergraduate Program Committee. The appeal must be made within 14 days of notification of admission denial, placement on probation, or dismissal. A response to the appeal must be made by the Committee within 14 days. 

Any student denied admission or continuation may request a personal interview to discuss or amplify any matter in his/her application or in the admission or continuation policy statement. No student shall be denied this right.

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